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Britannian Empire (GN)
The Britannian Empire, also called the Holy Britannian Empire, Great Britannia or simply Britannia, is a country based out of North America that has colonies on every continent and is currently the global superpower. History Geography Administrative divisions The Homeland The Britannian Homeland, also called Great Britannia, the Royal or Imperial Homeland, or simply "the Homeland," refers to the continent of North America, which is the heart of the Britannian Empire. This term mainly refers to Canada and the large territory to the south of it, stretching until the border with Area 1 (Mexico). The region holds a unique administrative structure due to its important status as the homeland of Britannian Empire. The territory of of this vast continent is divided among feudal noble families, with the largest administrative division being the Duchy (or Grand Duchy). The land of North America is divided between ten Duchies or Grand Duchies, each ruled by one aristocratic house. These Duchies are further divided into smaller units on the local level that are also ruled by nobles, including Marquessates, Margravates, Earldoms, Viscounties, and Baronies. This creates an immense peerage within Imperial society, although only a small percentage of all Britannian noble families have territory to their titles. The most strategically important duchies or ones whose members have performed distinguished service for the Emperor are awarded the title of Grand Duchy. These are some of the Empire's most senior figures, and are second in importance only to the Imperial Family in Britannian societal hierarchy. Only the Empire's capital, the City of Pendragon, is ruled as a separate entity, with its own Lord Mayor being elected by a council of the wealthiest families of the capital. The City is located within the Quebec Grand Duchy but is governed completely separately from the region. As the capital, it is home to the New Buckingham Palace, the main residence of the Emperor and his family, as well as most government and military offices, various financial institutions, the headquarters of countless companies and businesses, and foreign embassies. Thus Pendragon is an administrative and economic hub, being the center from which the Britannian Emperors ruled their domain. Areas and colonies The Areas, formerly officially known as Colonies and sometimes still referred to by that name, are colonial territories of the Britannian Empire. They are governed differently from the Homeland, with an appointed Viceroy ruling in the name of the Imperial monarch, the Britannian Emperor. They consist mostly of conquered territories and are usually divided along the borders of formerly existing states (i.e. the Philippines, Brazil) or grouped together into larger regions for administrative convenience (i.e. Central America, La Plata, Pacific Islands). Unlike each of the Duchies located in the Homeland, Areas do not get to have local legislatures or elect parliamentarians to the House of Commons, the lower house of the Britannian Parliament. Subjects are not considered full Britannian citizens but as colonials, having even less rights than commoners in the Britannian Homeland. The Viceroy has absolute power and usually rules by martial law. Dependencies and client states Besides the Homeland and its Areas, there are territories and other dependencies that have a special status within the Britannian Empire's administrative structure and do not fall into either of the two categories. There is also a tributary and vassal, the Euro Britannian Empire, which consists of parts of Western Europe and Russia conquered by Britannian forces but ruled by its own local system. Britannian Africa is ruled with a system of keeping local African tribes intact, having them answer to governors, who themselves answer to the governor-general of a region. They are not even considered Areas, but Territories. Britannian settlements and research stations in Antarctica are governed the same way, except without tribes, by a governor and small civil service staff. Politics and government The Imperial Family HM's Government Britannia is nominally a constitutional monarchy. In practice, the monarch wields absolute power, only possibly constrained by the power of the nobility. The head of government is the Prime Minister, a post appointed by the sovereign of Britannia and often is held by a royal (typically the Crown Prince/Princess). The government is structured with more power given to the executive than the legislative, that is the Prime Minister and his cabinet which carries out the Emperor's will. The legislature is the Imperial Senate, divided between the upper House of Lords and lower House of Commons. The former consists of titled nobility, and has more influence and leverage, while the lower consists of elected officials. While the Parliament has the power to propose and pass laws, the Imperial sovereign has veto power and the legislature is largely symbolic. The House of Commons exists to give a semblance of the people's voice in government. The cabinet is also assisted by the Privy Council, which includes several Officers of the Realm, positions that are often largely symbolic and represent the Britannian monarch's will in the government. Most day-to-day functions are carried out by the cabinet ministers though. Regional rulers, ranging from Grand Dukes and Dukes in the Homeland to Viceroys of Areas and Governors of territories, also hold significant power. In the Homeland the central government often has more direct authority, although in theory nobles are still absolute rulers over their lands in the Emperor's name. Further away from the imperial capital Viceroys and Governors have even more power. Armed forces The Britannian Armed Forces, also called His (Imperial) Majesty's Armed Forces, consist of the Britannian Army, the Royal Navy (RN), the Royal Air Force (RAF), and the militias of the Territorial Army (TA). While the Territorial Army serves as a reserve for the Britannian Army, there are also the Colonial Defense Forces (CDF), which are colonial subjects raised by Viceroys, nobles, or other Britannian authorities in Areas. The Royal Navy's reserves are the Royal Fleet Auxiliary, while the Royal Air Force does not have a formal reserve structure. Additionally there are the Royal Guard and the Knightmare Corps, but both of them remain outside of the regular military command structure and function more independently. Overall the Armed Forces are overseen by the cabinet's Ministry of War, and directly below that are the senior leaderships of each individual branch: the Imperial General Staff, the Admiralty, and the Air Staff. The Territorial Army and Colonial Defense Forces, as reserves and land forces, fall under the General Staff's command. The Britannian Emperor serves as the commander-in-chief of the military, giving orders to the Minister of War and the service chiefs (Chief of the Imperial General Staff, First Sea Lord, and Chief of the Air Staff). Thus the branch structure is as follows: * Britannian Armed Forces ** Britannian Army ***Territorial Army ***Colonial Defense Forces ** Royal Navy ***Royal Fleet Auxiliary ** Royal Air Force The permanent peacetime strength of the Armed Forces is 4 million regular personnel, with up to 10 million commonly being the fully mobilized during times of war. In extreme situations, as many as 20 million men at arms can be mobilized, but this is rarely done. Territorial and CDF militias are only counted among the mobilized figures, and their numbers fluctuate during peacetime as new units are established or unneeded ones are disbanded. Reserve personnel are divided into three categories of readiness (1st, 2nd, and 3rd line reservists). Conscription is only done during times of war, as Britannia's military is rarely short of willing recruits due to its glory and prestigious place in Britannian culture as well as the offer of better conditions and some advancement. Britannian commoners and make up most of the enlisted personnel, with colonial subjects in the CDF also providing reinforcements. The officer corps is traditionally the domain of the nobles, with there being many aristocratic military lineages. Comparatively few commoners and almost no colonials have ever made it into the officer ranks of the Britannian military, with some exceptions. Those colonial subjects that do become honorary Britannians. By the 1980s, the Britannian war strategy has been to be able to concentrate and project force in particular locations to rapidly respond to uprisings or other emergency situations around the world. Increasingly, after 2010 Knightmares have been used for that role, with the Royal Armored Corps of the Britannian Army—and the rest of the land forces—becoming increasingly secondary. The Britannian Army has historically waged war on the front lines against the Empire's enemies, but by the 2010s is mainly limited to garrison duties throughout the Homeland as well as Britannian colonies and territories. Similarly, with the introduction of Knightmares the role of the Royal Air Force has also diminished considerably, also serving garrisons or carrying out secondary missions when Knightmares are not available. The Royal Navy is the best-funded branch, still being the logistical backbone of the Empire and allows Britannia to maintain dominance on all seas. The Army is divided into military districts, largely modeled along Duchies in the Homeland and Areas, with a number of divisions subordinated to each district HQ. Territorial units are assigned to assist particular Army formations. The Navy is divided into ocean- or continent-based fleets, with each fleet divided into flotillas and squadrons, along with a number of temporary independent task forces. The Air Force is divided into air wings which are assigned to bases throughout the Empire. Colonial militias are organized on a case-by-case basis by the Viceroy or other authority that raises them. By 2015, a debate has been taking place among senior Britannian military officers whether or not the armed forces should be downsized due to them playing a less important role to Knightmares, or whether large numbers of conventional forces should still be kept to respond to unexpected threats and serve as intimidation to other countries, not to mention maintaining Britannia's martial traditions. Economy The Britannian Empire's economy is best described as a state capitalist or fascist economy, with some aspects of feudalism. While many spheres of the economy are left to the forces of the free market, industries that deal with military technology or strategically important resources are controlled by the state. Much of the land was owned directly by the nobility. The central bank of the Empire is the traditional Bank of England. It is the bank of last resort and is the sole issuer of the pound sterling, the official imperial mint. The power of issuing currency means that the Bank Governor and Court of Directors, appointed by the monarch, are responsible for determining monetary policy. Corporations, or guilds, are often controlled by nobles. Society and culture Category:Nations